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Original poster

Some bastard has hit my cat.

308 replies

Zepherial · 01/05/2013 12:57

Some fucking shit ran over my cat!

My neighbour called me and said someone was speeding down our road ( which drives me mad as we have a school and nursery near us and it is 20 mph, but that's another thread....) and our cat ran across the road and they hit it. Get this they slowed then fucking drove off, did not even get out to see if he was okay.

So I had to take all three of my children home to see if he was dead bloody traumatic for them ( he was not dead) he is now at the vets with god knows what wrong with him, when I picked Him up and put him in my car he collapsed.

So to the Aibu can I watch out for the car as i have the reg and a good description and stick hundreds of post it notes thanking them for not getting out of the car the bastards? Angry

OP posts:
Hafen · 01/05/2013 15:45

You don't have to stop for a cat, only a dog, YABU

Floralnomad · 01/05/2013 15:46

akak the neighbour said the car was speeding and TBH if you wouldn't stop if you hit somebody's cat to at least see if you could do something is pretty disgusting . I think you're on the wrong thread with that opinion .

Sparklingbrook · 01/05/2013 15:50

Thanks for that supportive post AKAK. Nice to know you wouldn't stop for a cat too. Sad

Tomorrowslookingfine · 01/05/2013 15:56

Why wouldn't you stop for a cat AKA?

Devilforasideboard · 01/05/2013 16:04

No, you don't have to stop but it's the decent thing to do. One of my cats was hit by a car and without the poor lady who hit him coming to tell us we wouldn't have known for hours as he dragged himself off to hide under a shed. I will be forever grateful to that lady for saving us the heartache of looking for the cat and possibly losing him to his injuries. He survived with a dislocated hip and 6 weeks cage rest and you honestly wouldn't know there had ever been anything wrong with him. I really hope your wee chap is ok Zepherial

MimsyBorogroves · 01/05/2013 16:06

Thinking of you and your cat, OP.

I can't understand how people can run off. I had the shakes for a good half an hour when a wild rabbit ran under my car. I'm still not sure how I didn't hit it.

AKAK81 · 01/05/2013 16:07

Exactly my point - the neighbour does not know the car was speeding unless she had a speed gun. How do you know that the cat didn't run out leaving the driver with no choice? For what it's worth you should never take avoiding action for a small animal, the safest choice for you and other road users is to hit it. I'd put a cat in the same category as rabbits - are you saying I should stop if I hit a rabbit?

ZebraOwl · 01/05/2013 16:08

Just because you don't have to stop for a cat doesn't mean you shouldn't. You don't have to stop & help someone who's been hit by a car if it's not you that did it, but you'd expect people to help if they were in the vicinity. I think you should have to stop for cats just as you do for dogs.

Am so sorry about your cat & do hope that he's ok.

hiddenhome · 01/05/2013 16:09

Sorry to hear about your poor kitty OP. Hope he's going to be okay. I've had a couple of cats run over and it's horrible Sad

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 01/05/2013 16:14

AKAK and hafen, what delightful supportive posts Hmm

Sallystyle · 01/05/2013 16:14

People like AKA are one of the reasons I don't let mine outside.

Purpleknickers · 01/05/2013 16:14

Fingers crossed for you cat and I'm so sorry to hear this happened. I lost one of my boys last year on the road outside my home and its heartbreaking.

Prior to that a few years ago another of mine got badly knocked and had to have metal plates put in to hold his pelvis together and spend 6 weeks in a large cage to recover. He lived a further happy 5 years after that.

Jelly15 · 01/05/2013 16:15

Only this morning my DS2 Aged 17 was walking to catch his school bus when a an upset lady said she had hit a cat and it was now in the back of her car and did he know who it belonged to. He said his heart was thumping in case it was our cat. he said it looked like our neighbours. She then went to the vet (DS text me to tell me the story) she then came back to speak to our neighbour.

Our previous cat was hit but not killed by a car. A kind gentleman saw it happen and took it to the vet, they rang me as he was chipped. Sadly he was too poorly to save.

I am senting positive vibes for your cat's quick recovery.

yonithebrave · 01/05/2013 16:20

Actually, an experienced driver would have a decent idea if another driver was speeding.

Tailtwister · 01/05/2013 16:20

I had a cat literally jump out of a hedge (country road) into the path of my car. It went up over the top of my car and was hit again by the car behind. I stopped as soon as it was safe and walked back, but it was nowhere to be seen. I called the police, but they weren't interested.

If I hit a cat on a residential street I would certainly stop. They do tend to run off and hide if injured, but I'd at least want to try and find it and alert the residents in case it was theirs.

missrlr · 01/05/2013 16:21

Morally stopping to recover cat (and take to vets) is necessary.

I did after witnessing a cat+car accident (resulting in death) and the bloody awful woman who answered the door to me accused me of hitting the animal and not having the balls to own up despite another lady who had also stopped trying to point out to the contrary. Wasn't even her cat she just hoiked out the soap box clambered up and started.

Would do it all again, worst memory of my life was being driven to school and seeing my cat's body on the road with a truck bearing down on the small body.

missrlr · 01/05/2013 16:22

Sorry meant to say hope cat is OK and pulls through. Do contact local council and get other residents involved too - power in many voices!

AKAK81 · 01/05/2013 16:26

If you reclassified cats then fair enough but the flip side would be that you'd then be liable for any damage to the car.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 01/05/2013 16:27

I would stop for a cat because it is probably someone's pet, and that person will be upset. I have only hit squirrels, but I once saw someone hit a dog. They were in front of us, national speed limit straight road, so probably going at least 50, and a black Lab ran straight out in front of them. Sad DH got out to help, and our dog went absolutely mental howling and trying to leap out and I had to stay in the car to look after him. The dog was dead and the front bumper of the car was torn off. DH walked up to the farm it had come from and had to tell the farmer that the dog had been run over. It was horrible.

Hope your cat is OK, OP.

KellyElly · 01/05/2013 16:28

So sorry about your cat. Hope cat is ok and makes a full recovery.

AKAK81 Are you heartless/provocative/just a twat? Feel free to delete as appropriate.

toffeelolly · 01/05/2013 16:31

The decent thing to do would be to stop and get out, zep hope your cat is ok. And hope you get the bastards that done this. Poor cat.

Original poster
Zepherial · 01/05/2013 16:33

Just came back to update you but first:

Even I know what 20 mph looks like so I think my neighbour was right about the speeding and second I asked about compassion, this was a post about my anger at not stopping when you know you have hit a domestic pet not about if you should. I know about the risks of having a cat but if I hit something I would try to help it.

Anyway vet has called our cat looks like he will loose his front leg but they won't amputate yet because of the risk of GA with a head injury. He needs to toilet then they will let us bring him home and see if he recovers. They think he may have brain damage due to unequal pupils and he keeps falling to the left and won't stand but it could be concussion so it is a waiting game now.

OP posts:
70isaLimitNotaTarget · 01/05/2013 16:35

As it's been already said, the law is not on the side of cats, but AFAIK it's an animal cruelty issue to hit a cat and drive off, so if you have the Reg of the car, could the RSPCA help?

I rescued a little black&white cat many years ago, I thought it was having a fit but someone said a motorbike hit it and drove off.
I took it to a nearby vet, I couldn't leave it in the road dying. It died on the way and unfortunately had no collar.
But if someone contacted the vet they'd have been told a black & white was handed in.

Sad for Mr Miaow

Wolfiefan · 01/05/2013 16:38

Hafen that's awful.
Animal could be left slowly dying by the roadside. Surely the moral thing is to try and help. Yes my cat was killed by a car. Driver didn't stop.
Bastards!

toffeelolly · 01/05/2013 16:39

Zep he might be ok, hopefully, here's praying.